A color developer using an aromatic primary amine color developing agent is conventionally used in color image-forming processes and at present is generally used in the image forming process for color developer. However, as is well known, this color developer is easily oxidized by air or metals, and when color images are formed using such an oxidized color developer, fog formation is increased and sensitivity and gradation are changed, undesirably affecting photographic properties.
Accordingly, various methods for improving the preservability of color developer have been investigated and in particular, a hydroxylamine and a sulfite ion have often been used in a color developer. However, hydroxylamine generates ammonia if it is decomposed, which causes the formation of fog, and sulfite ion disadvantageously acts as a competing compound for a color developing agent, to inhibit the coloring property, etc. Thus, neither component is a preferred preservative.
Furthermore, for improving the stability of color developers, various preservatives and chelating agents have been investigated. For example, proposed preservatives include aromatic polyhydroxy compounds described in Japanese Patent Application (OPI) Nos. 49828/77, 160142/84, and 47038/81 corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,264,716 (the term "OPI" as used herein indicates an "unexamined published Japanese patent application"), and U.S. Pat. No. 3,746,544; hydroxycarbonyl compounds described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,615,503 and British Patent No. 1,306,176; .alpha.-aminocarbonyl compounds described in Japanese Patent Application (OPI) Nos. 143020/77 corresponding to U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,155,764 and 89425/78 corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,142,895; alkanolamines described in Japanese Patent Application (OPI) No. 3532/79 corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,170,478; and metal salts described in Japanese Patent Application (OPI) Nos. 44148/82 corresponding to U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,330,616 and 53749/82.
Also, proposed chelating agents include aminopolycarboxylic acids described in Japanese Patent Publication Nos. 30496/73 and 30232/69 corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 3,462,269 organic phosphonic acids described in Japanese Patent Application (OPI) No. 97347/81, Japanese Patent Publication No. 39359/81 corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 3,794,591 and West German Patent No. 2,227,739; phosphonocarboxylic acids described in Japanese Patent Application (OPI) Nos. 102726/77 corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,083,723 42730/78 corresponding to U.S. Re Nos. 30064, 121127/79, 126241/80, and 65956/80; and the compounds described in Japanese Patent Application (OPI) Nos. 19584/83 corresponding to U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,482,626 and 203440/83, and Japanese Patent Publication No. 40900/78.
However, since these techniques provide insufficient preservability or adversely affect photographic characteristics, satisfactory results are not obtained by using these techniques.
In particular, when benzyl alcohol, which is a harmful pollutant, is omitted from a color developer inevitably a deterioration of its colorforming ability occurs. In such a system, preservatives which act as competing compounds for color developing agents greatly reduce the coloring properties. Therefore, many of these conventional techniques are unsatisfactory in such a system.
A color developer containing hydrazides as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,141,771 and 2,772,973 does not provide satisfactory preservability.
Furthermore, a color photographic light-sensitive material having silver chlorobromide emulsions containing a large amount of silver chloride is susceptible to fogging upon color development, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application (OPI) Nos. 95345/83 and 232342/84. When processing such a silver halide emulsion, a preservative which dissolves less emulsion and has better preservability is greatly desired, but satisfactory preservatives with these characteristics have not yet been found.
Japanese Patent Application No. 169789/86 correlated to the present application relates to a color developer using different preservatives from that of the present invention.